For those employees who have either decided, or been told, to make their temporary home workspace a more permanent fixture, it may be time to consider a home office addition.
Many companies have discovered their employees have not only been more productive while working from home over the past two years, but they have decreased their overhead costs tremendously by having employees work remotely. For these and other reasons, the home office may soon become the norm.
Why Adding a Home Office Is a Good Choice
It goes without saying that working from home has its challenges—but there are also a lot of benefits to working remotely (e.g., more flexibility, no commute, working in your pajamas!). It all comes down to having the proper environment to work in.
Using the dining room table or the sofa as an office space works for a limited time. Tuning out the distractions and chaos of everyone being home at the same time can be difficult.
But what if there was a space designed to enhance the work environment? A room with every essential work tool such as a computer, desk, shelves, cabinets, and most importantly, a door that closes.
The benefits of having a home office addition for your work-from-home responsibilities includes improving productivity, increasing the home’s value, and creating the perfect balance between family and work life.
Here are some additional benefits of building a home office.
Gives You a Better Work-Home Divide
A home office addition can help to physically divide home life from work tasks. Just as one leaves all personal concerns at home when working at another location, it is important to be able to do the same when working from home.
A home office should be set up for success with the ability to close a door and concentrate on the day’s work. This enables the employee to work without minor interruptions and distractions. Then, at the end of the workday, the office door is closed until the next business day.
Provides Flexibility
In certain situations, having a home office allows for a more flexible relationship between work and home life. Keeping set hours for work also allows you to help with household chores on breaks, prepare lunch, and spend quality time with the family.
It saves time by removing the additional hours and stress of commuting to and from an office. This extra time can be put towards family or investing in your hobbies. Both of these otherwise lost opportunities help feed the soul and increase productivity.
Increases Productivity
The ability to increase productivity is priceless. In addition to eliminating the stress of commuting and allowing you to begin the day refreshed, a home office addition can be customized to suit one’s work needs. This opportunity alone inspires productivity.
Often our productivity lowers throughout the day as time is spent discussing our personal life with coworkers. Ever heard of the water cooler chat? A meaningful 10-minute chat can easily extend into a 30-minute discussion. A home office addition provides an environment controlled completely by the worker.
Adds Value to Your Property
Even though pandemic restrictions are lifting, the work-from-home structure isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Nowadays, having a dedicated home office in your house is a huge selling point and could increase your property value should you be in the market to sell your home.
In addition to increasing your property value, when you build a home office addition, you also increase the square footage of your home. For business that requires clientele coming into the office, incorporating a separate entrance from the home can also boost the value of the addition.
Tips for Designing Home Office Additions
Before scrolling through the online office supply catalogue, be aware of how the office needs to be designed. Adding another room to the house requires planning and designing the layout. If the property can’t accommodate the addition, renovating the basement, loft, or adding another floor can be done.
Consider the following home office remodelling tips to ensure the best workflow.
Add Enough Space for the Office
Planning a home office addition doesn’t need to be extravagant, especially if only one person will be seeing and using the office space. It does, however, need to suit all your office needs.
Depending on the business at hand, such as having incoming clients, the space should be large enough to accommodate a couple of comfortable chairs and end tables. Plan on a corner for a coffee machine, small refrigerator, and microwave for times leaving the room can cause too many distractions.
Natural Light and Ventilation
With a room addition, incorporating natural light in the design process can be beneficial to your mental health as well as productivity. Consider having a skylight or floor to ceiling windows installed.
If the home office is a renovated basement, invest in good-quality lighting. Spending several hours working in a dimly lit room can damage the eyes, cause fatigue, and induce severe headaches.
Be sure to have proper ventilation with a rebuild or new addition. Being able to open the windows can help draw fresh air into the room.
Design Continuity
Visualize the home office addition. The physical appeal of the addition’s exterior should be aligned with the structure of the house itself. This can be most beneficial if the home is ever put on the market to sell.
The interior of the office can also be designed to complement the flow of the home, even though the door will likely be closed most of the time. Walking into a well-organized and eye-catching office can help with overall productivity.
Pet-Friendly Space
If you have a pet-friendly home, you should take into consideration the needs of the pet(s) when designing a home office. Pet owners consider their pets as a member of the family and spending time with them during working hours can help boost productivity.
When designing the office layout, ensure a section near or in sight of the desk is accommodating to the fur baby. Placing a bed or blanket with their favourite toys will allow the pet to be close by and not on the other side of the door whining or scratching.
Contact Elite Construction and Renovations for a Quote
When you are ready to begin designing and building your home office addition, rely on the expertise of the dream team at Elite Construction and Renovations. We will work with you to design, plan, and build the perfect home office. Contact us today for a consultation!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jay McDonald
Jay McDonald, general contractor and owner of Elite Construction & Renovations, has over 20 years of construction experience. He has completed various Ontario Building Code and Business Management courses from George Brown College and has managed over $50 million-dollars-worth of construction in his career.